


Harry Potter, Shadow Thief

by d27dyer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Elemental Harry, I dont know what the fuck im writing anymore, M/M, Manipulative Dumbledore, Other, Someone plz help, Super hermione, This story has taken on a life of its own, Weasley Bashing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-03-07 15:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18875902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d27dyer/pseuds/d27dyer
Summary: Harry James Potter was forever a lonely child until he turned to the darkness that surrounded him in his cupboard. How did this darkness effect him? What does this mean for the Boy-Who-Lived? Will he even go to Hogwarts? Read and find out! ;)





	1. The Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> This is cross-posted from my ff.net account of the same name.
> 
> I do not own Harry Potter or any of its subsidiaries. I only own this story and then not even all of it. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
> Also, anything you recognize I don't own. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental and completely unintentional.  
> Now that that's taken care of, enjoy the show ladies and gents!

* * *

 

It was a perfectly normal day at number 4 Privet Drive in Surrey, England. A perfectly normal day indeed. The only slightly abnormal thing about today was the tabby cat that sat on a brick wall watching the occupants of the house, and this was purely abnormal in that it did not happen every day in this normal little town.

When night arrived, a loud crack was heard as a man dressed in outrageously bright robes approached the house, nodding to the cat as he walked by. The cat leaped off the small brick half-wall and shifted into a woman wearing dark green robes and her hair pulled up into a tight bun high on her head.

A roaring sound could be heard as a motorcycle came down from the clouds.  A top it sat a very large man holding a small bundle of cloth in one arm. After a bit of conversing, the bundle was set on the outside of the door on the top step of number 4 Privet Drive, with a letter attached.

Two sharp cracks and a roar of motorcycle engines later and the street was once again empty, except for the not very warmly wrapped baby. The baby with messy black hair and vibrant green eyes.

* * *

1988

* * *

 

"BOY! GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE AND MAKE US BREAKFAST!" hollered Vernon Dursley, a man who weighed several hundred pounds and none of it muscle.

"Make it yourself you lazy piece of shit!" Yelled back the boy from inside the cupboard under the stairs.

A kid with exquisite green eyes and long black hair that reached down slightly past his shoulders. This boy, one Harry James Potter, was an abnormality from abnormalities. He held himself with confidence despite the constant beatings that came by the hand of his relatives. He had run away from this place several years ago, only to get dragged back several months later. Those few months though taught Harry everything he needed to live and survive. He was taught how to pickpocket someone, how to lockpick, and how to steal. When he was dragged back by an elderly man with an overly large beard and garish purple robes he started stealing from the general area. Several very successful heists later and he started to gain a name for himself, as Nightmare Griffin, Thief Extraordinaire.

Late last night he had a sale, it went tits up, and he had to run, thinking that incident involving the Dursley Gang, Harry Hunting, and the school roof.

_Flashback_

Running was all he could do now, for if he stopped with this many pigs chasing him, he would surely be quite thoroughly crushed. As he turned a corner to try and escape their notice, only to come up to a dead end. As he swore colorfully under his breath. He heard a voice that spelled instant pain.

"Where are you freak? We just wanna play freak," the voice of Dudley Dursley singsonged.

'Shit' thought Harry. He started to frantically search for a way out other than back. As the gang turned the corner, he closed his eyes, awaiting the beating that was going to occur.

"Where'd the freak go," asked Piers Polkiss, Dudley's right hand.

As Harry opened his eyes he saw himself on the school roof, looking over he had to try very hard to keep himself from laughing as the gang that tormented him was searching through dumpsters and behind wood palettes all in search of a small boy who wasn't there.

Deciding to try and replicate the feat, he tried to remember everything that had happened between him closing his eyes and him opening them back up. He remembered standing in shadows a feeling of falling backward and him suddenly being in the shadow of the water tower. Deciding that shadows were the key factor here, he thought of his infinitely dark cupboard and figured that that was as good a place as any to try to go to using this strange method. As he focused on transporting himself to the cupboard, he felt as if e was falling backward and keeping his eyes open the entire time, saw his vision briefly taken completely over by darkness. As his vision cleared it was still dark, but now he could see the rough shapes of his mattress and of the shelves that held the few toys he owned. Grinning to himself he transported back to the school, first to the roof to check if Dudley's Gang was still there, then to a broom closet next to the class he needed to be in.

_End Flashback_

This talent proved to be very useful for thieving, for as long as there was darkness he could Fall. Falling is what he had taken to calling this strange ability. Over the years he discovered other things that he could do with the shadows, least of all create an area of darkness in a brightly lit room, although the more light he had to contend with, the more tiring it was. After discovering this affinity for the dark, Harry went out to a local department store and stole a large overcoat that fit perfectly, a black Stetson and some loose-fitting clothing. As he took his purchases into the changing room, he swapped them out for the oversized hand-me-down clothes and teleported back home where he dropped all the outfits and proceeded to rob the store blind of jewelry and other small stuff. That was a very profitable week indeed.

* * *

 1989

* * *

 

Seeing something that caught his fancy, he stole an old wireless music player. When he got home, though the shared inhabitants didn't like each other, they left each other alone after trying to hit Harry only for the layer of solid darkness that existed underneath his duster to stop all of their attacks. He found a particular interest in American Country Music. He learned to play his favorite songs on a beautiful guitar, and his hair was now at mid-back length and tied back into a low ponytail with a white ribbon, the only white in the entire outfit.

He ran a very successful, if not particularly well known and definitely highly illegal, business, could get anywhere in the world in an instant and was generally happy with his routine life. He was known as Nightmare Griffin, Thief of Darkness.


	2. A Meeting Between two Criminals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter or any of its subsidiaries. I only own this story and then not even all of it. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
> Also, anything you recognize I don't own. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental and completely unintentional.  
> Now that that's taken care of, enjoy the show ladies and gents!

Harry Potter was doing a job across the pond, in Alabama, when he ran into an assassin. This assassin was covered from head to toe in an all-white cloak, with a blood-red shirt and trousers. Knee-high red leather boots completed the outfit. This could only be one person, The Nameless.

The Nameless was a high profile contract killer who never spoke a word and never missed a shot. Their favorite method for fulfilling contracts was with a blowgun, shooting poison covered darts. For those that needed to be made an example of, they got far more personal using a small 6 in. pocket knife to slowly and painfully kill their target.

Out of professional curiosity, Harry decided to strike up a conversation with The Nameless. 

“What brings you within my presence, ‘cause I know it’s not because of my wonderful homemade treacle tart,” Harry said, not expecting a response.

“I heard you were in the area, wanted to meet the infamous Nightmare Griffin myself,” said The Nameless in a raspy voice. “You have quite the reputation even over here.”

“You have quite the reputation in Britain as well, although I must admit, I know nearly nothing about you and here you are, looking at my face without the mask,” he said challengingly.

Without saying another word, The Nameless lifted the hood and removed the silken cloth from their face. What lies underneath was a sharp angular face, dark almost black eyes that were framed rather nicely by long dark red hair that was tied back by a black strip of cloth. “Let me introduce myself, My name is Jacob Joseph Allen,” he said with a slight bow.

“Harry Potter, quite the pleasure to meet you,” Harry said with a bow as well, and when they both came up, equally mischievous smirks could be seen across their faces.

This is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship, thought both of the people simultaneously. 

 

The next morning, after a long night swapping stories of impossible heists and some of Jacob’s favorite and/or bloodiest kills. Jacob caught a glimpse of Harry’s target on his desk where he had been perched.

“No fucking way. We are both after the same dude,” Jacob exclaimed with surprise evident in his voice.

“Really?”

“Yeah, would recognize his lazy mug anywhere, been tailing him for two weeks.”

“Wow, wonder who he pissed off so badly that he has both the most infamous assassin and the most infamous thief after him?” No idea, but they're paying me well so I don’t give a shit.”

“I’ll say.”

A shared target and neither of their respective jobs interfered with the others paycheck. They shared a look between them and decided to combine their efforts on this target.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive Criticism appreciated Flames will be used to light my fireplace. Beta needed.


	3. First Duet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter or any of its subsidiaries. I only own this story and then not even all of it. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
> Also, anything you recognize I don't own. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental and completely unintentional.  
> Now that that's taken care of, enjoy the show ladies and gents!

That night, The Nameless and Nightmare Griffin was waiting within one of Harry’s Null-Space spheres. Explaining that was interesting to say the least, it turned out that what made The Nameless such an effective assassin was that he learned how to do the opposite, how to control light instead of darkness, so he wasn’t as freaked out as he probably should have been, Harry, however, was giddy that there was another with at least similar powers to his. 

There's a type of synergy that is achieved when two complete opposites meet up and mesh together in just the right way that nothing else in the multiverse can compare to.and this is what we see when The Nameless and Nightmare Griffin started working side by side.

Nightmare Griffin would blind the target by trapping their eyes in small spheres of Null-Space while The Nameless would shoot them in the neck with blowgun darts made from 8d nails and Post-It notes that were covered in a special mixture of cyanide and Strychnine. Then, each using their special realms within the light and dark, managed to loot everything from the house that wasn’t bolted down. After they only had the master bedroom, Nightmare Griffin picked the lock on the door, opened it, and bowed deeply allowing for The Nameless to enter, all of this done without the slightest sound. After a quick slit in the neck and watching the blood pool, they cleared out the master bedroom and hightailed it out of there.

When they got back to Harry’s Hotel room, they shared a glass of soda and cheered to a successful venture and many future business ventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive Criticism welcome. Flames used to start the fire that fuels my creative spark. Beta still needed.


	4. Expectations and the Bending of...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter or any of its subsidiaries. I only own this story and then not even all of it. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
> Also, anything you recognize I don't own. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental and completely unintentional.  
> Now that that's taken care of, enjoy the show ladies and gents!  
> As a note, in order to make this semi-realistic, I had to change several dates and number related facts, to make my math easy. Hogwarts starts at 13 and goes until 21, at which point you are considered a full adult. Harry was born two years earlier. Jake is 1 year older.  
> Some of this (mostly the beginning) is paraphrased are directly from J.K. herself. I hate to sound like a broken record, but what you recognize ain’t mine.  
> I also apologize for the horribly botched and probably stereotypical accents, I'm only slightly better at speaking with them and it is a skill that doesn’t translate.

_ At Hogwarts _

A blue fire resting in a golden goblet turns blood-red and flares. Out of the fire soars a slip of parchment. A man, dressed in very ostentatious robes with a well-kept snow-white beard that fell past his waist, and the hair on his head was the same in all aspects. “The champion for Durmstrang Institute, is Victor Krum.”

A rousing applause is made by the men in fur cloaks and dark-red, military uniforms, as one man, dressed exactly the same, with dark hair and black eyes, stood up and walked purposefully to the podium, where he bowed a respectful amount, and proceeded to go into a side room behind a long table with many figures of authority seated there, positioned so as to view all of the students seated at the four, long, dark oak tables that spanned the rest of the hall.

When the man was out of the limelight and the applause died down, the fire once again changed color and flared. This time, a lace doily flew out to some snickers from the students, and was caught by the same man as before, and with a twinkle in his eye said “The champion for Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Fleur Delacour.” 

Another round of roaring applause was heard as a lady in a frilly, bright blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and a matching jacket. She walked up much the same way as the man before her, curtsied before the adults, and sauntered over to the same side room.

Yet another name was called from the goblet, representing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was Cedric Diggory. A tall, pale man who had a charming smile and attractive features to work in his advantage, who was dressed in a suit and black robes with yellow and brown trimming. He mimicked his predecessor almost perfectly, with a bow instead of a curtsy and an almost nervousness to his gait.

“Very well done all three of you!” cried the bearded man happily. “Students, now that our three champions have been selected, may I ask for nothing less than your support to them as they face these trying trials ahead of us.” 

It became clearly evident that few were paying attention to him though, as the large cup started to throw sparks, as the flames turned color once again and shot high into the air, ejecting another slip of paper. 

The tall man, on reflex, caught the paper and held it out in front of him. He stared at it for several seconds, a look at clear confusion evident on his face. As he read out the name and school, “Harry Potter.”

  
  


_ *HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST*HP&ST* _

 

_ In a modest bedroom in Alabama _

Two gentlemen sat close together on a full sized bed in what is obviously a teenage boy’s room. Hank Williams Jr. posters and Charlie Daniels Band posters hung along the walls, a homemade bookcase is filled with various books, a desk sits in the corner with a simple chair and desk lamp. Upon closer inspection, however, revealed quite a bit of Lisa Frank items, a beaded curtain hanging across a doorway that led to the closet, a lava lamp on the nightstand and gel pens on the desk.

The men, who are revealed to be two teenagers, One with a hard angular face, dark almost black eyes that were framed rather nicely by long dark red hair, wearing jeans, a Rock & Republic t-shirt and a flannel around his waist, and the other with striking green eyes and messy black hair that fell to the shoulders, wearing a black leather jacket that covers him to just below his waist and is barely buttoned up. Emblazoned on the inside of both of the wrists on the leather jacket is a picture of a sleeping black, Griffin. His shirt is plainer than his counterparts, but his grey cotton shirt is well fitted and is tucked into his pants with a french tuck. His black jeans are simple and quite tight-fitting and reach down to his soft knee-high leather boots.

Suddenly, the dark-haired man was teleported to an unknown location in some shadows to hide his face. He used the brief minute between appearing and everyone noticing him to scan the crowd. Within the crowd is the son of one of his past targets, and on the podium lie two people who are on both his and Jake’s lists. One Severus Snape and one Igor  Karkaroff. Looking around Harry realized that he was in Hogwarts, and guessing by the food everywhere the great hall at that. An old man turned to look at Harry, and he identified him as Albus Dumbledore.

“Hello young Harry, how good to see you,” started Dumbledore calmly. “Why don’t we introduce you to the other champions and then we shall be off.” Dumbledore walked Harry into the side room where the other three champions sat. Along the way to the room, Harry noticed that some of the torches were unnaturally brighter than others, indicating that Jacob was using his photokinesis powers to watch what is happening and step in if it became necessary. When they entered the room, the quizzing started.

“What is this little boy doing here, do they want us back in the hall?” asked the French girl curiously.

“Yes, ve vould also like to know this information Dumbledore,” said the large man from Bulgaria.

“I honestly do not know, the last thing I knew I was enjoying a nice evening with my partner back in our quaint little Alabama town when suddenly I’m here in front of all y’all with no warning and not even in my best dress. Lousy first impression I’ve made innit?” said Harry as sincerely as he could muster.

“Be that as it may, you have been summoned here because your name came out of the Goblet of Fire,” Dumbledore said as if this happened every day in Hogwarts.

“I got that, thanks. Could I make an effort to communicate with my partner and see if they will bring some of my stuff over ‘cross the bright blue sea?” asked an annoyed teenager.

“Of course, the floo is right this way and when you're done we may continue.”

Dumbledore motioned to the roaring fireplace that was the only source of light in the entire room. 

Just looking into the fire without reaching for the green powder that was being handed to him, he spoke clearly and with purpose. “Honey, you know where I am, it's safe to come through. Put on a bit of a show though.”  The flames flicked and wavered in a strange and odd way as if questioning him. “No, work clothes won’t be necessary, but it would be helpful if you wore those boots I bought you on your birthday.”

The flames moved in seeming affirmation, then, the dark spots in the room shrank, as the place just in front of the hearth began to get brighter, and brighter, soon becoming blindingly bright. A dark shape in the form of a man formed in the center, growing in detail as the light receded. The light hugged the form for a time, before flaring and vanishing, nothing in the environment having been changed save for the sudden appearance of a man with dark eyes and long red hair.

“Well howdy y’all. Fancy meetin’ all y’all here on this fine ev’nin’,” Said Jacob with a smug cocky grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone has a problem with Jacob’s accent that is a direct transcription of my speech pattern.  
> With all the love in the world,  
> d27dyer


	5. Meetings Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hogwarts and the Champions meet Jacob and have a brief convo with Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So........
> 
> I thought about making all of y'all wait a couple of months longer for me to properly finish this chapter (this is the first half), but I decided I'd welcome people with a chapter I'm quite proud of.
> 
> also, Harry is a slight flirt, deal with it.
> 
> Anywhoo, enjoy.

As Jacob Joseph Allen surveyed the room, he quite enjoyed the looks of terror on some of the faces, and confusion on the rest. A quick double-take shows that there are some past and present targets, ad with a questioning eyebrow, a confirmation is received with a head nod from the raven-haired teen who is barely hiding his mirth.  
“Oh yeah, laugh it up now darlin’, you asked me to make an entrance, so that's all I did,” said Jake, with an exasperated tilt of his hips.  
“I know I did, but I wasn’t quite expectin’ this kind of response, ‘specially from the ‘great’ Albus Dumbledore.”  
As his name is mentioned, Dumbledore's face suddenly turns from one of confusion, into one of understanding. “Harry, my dear boy, I had thought you said that you were bringing your partner in, not this yankee ruffian.”  
“Excuse me, I am not a yank. I am a born an’ raised southern boy. Y’all can take y’all’s northern ideals and so-called sense of right and wrong and stuff it where the sun ain’t shinin’,” berated Jacob, rounding on Dumbledore with fury written on his face.  
“Calm down honey, just picture his face on your next assignment and you’ll be fine,” Harry said as he soothed jake from his anger. Turning to face Dumbledore, he begins to explain.  
“As I was about to say before he interrupted me, this is my partner, in many fashions. He and I occasionally work together. Shut it,” he snaps as Jake coughs out a chuckle at the “occasionally.” “Anywhoo, he is my work associate and also my roommate. And I currently have no one else to contact and help me through this. After all, it is quite an unexpected circumstance we find ourselves in right now.”  
He doesn't even try to stop the barrels of laughter coming from the redhead on the word “roommate.”  
“Yes, well, we must continue on. Fleur, Victor, Cedric, meet Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived.”  
“Yessirs, pleasure to make your acquaintance. Especially yours my fine gentlemen,” said Hary cordially with an outstretched hand towards Victor and Cedric.  
A weird feeling floats over Harry's head as he greets Victor and Cedric. He looks at Fleur to find her concentrating, hard enough that the first beads of sweat were starting to show on her practically perfect forehead.  
“Sorry darling, but your not quite my type. Nice try with the allure though.”  
Fleur stood there in the antechamber with gobsmacked expression on her face, all pretenses of composure lost. Completely knocked into silence.  
“It is a pleasure to meet you, I hope that we can be friends in the future,” said Cedric as he shook Harry’s hand.  
“As do I. It is quite zee pleasure mister Potter. I vonder how you got enteret into zis competition.”  
“I’ve got no idea, although I hope we are all on even ground.”  
“Yes, I hope so as vell.”  
“As do I.”  
As Harry turned to Dumbledore, he raised an eyebrow in question to Jacob as he asked, “Now that introductions have been made, any chance of us getting a room in this place, or are you expectin’ us to need to travel back and forth, we can, it's just, quite a bit of a hassle.”  
No, no. Of course not. Come right this way and I'll show you two to your rooms,” stammered Dumbledore as he motioned for them to leave through the great hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, question(s) (comments for answers)  
> should Harry have tattoos, and which Gryffindor should Harry become friends with (disregarding Ron and Hermione, already got plans for them)
> 
> Anywhoo, here's chapter 5, Meetings Pt. 1. Hope y'all liked.
> 
> With all the love in the world,  
> d27dyer


	6. Meetings Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Jacob meet Hermione.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter or any of its subsidiaries. I only own this story and then not even all of it. I repeat, I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!  
> Also, anything you recognize I don't own. Any similarities to real-life are purely coincidental and completely unintentional.  
> Now that that's taken care of, enjoy the show ladies and gents!

As they entered the large chamber, tables lined the space filled with faces all looking and waiting, with a few notable exceptions. One red-headed boy, sitting at the table with the red and gold theme was busy stuffing his face with greasy food in a most horrendous fashion, a girl, nose in a book, with wild curls and pale brown skin with a golden hue. Across from her sat a slightly overweight boy with mousy brown hair, who seemed to be doing some studying.  
As Dumbledore, Harry and Jacob walked across the room, a voice is heard from their left, a couple of tables down.  
“Jacob Joseph Allen, it's been a while since we last talked, hasn’t it?” asked the curly-haired girl.  
“Yes it has, why don’t you come over here and join our walk, we’ll do it of catching' up on the way,” said Jacob with a motioning of his hand.  
The girl; looked thoughtful, as if weighing her options, before walking briskly towards the gathering in the pathway.  
“So,” she said abruptly and to the point. “Whatcha’ doin’?”  
“Not much. My dear ‘roommate’ has just been selected for this ridiculous tournament.” Jacob said with a tinge of annoyance.  
“ Oh. That all then. Might I be introduced to this man?” asked the girl with a tilt of her head.  
“Darling, I'd like for you to meet my friend,” stated Jacob as he taps Harry on the shoulder. When Harry turned and looked, and the girl, and stuck his hand out with a smile.  
“Harry James Potter. My friends call me Harry. And we are friends now aren’t we? If I may catch your name madam?” he said, voice laced with charm and self-confidence.  
“That wouldn’t be very possible, as names are quite hard to throw,” she said as she shook his hand. “But I shall give it to you for free. Hermione Granger.”  
“ Hermione Granger, Jake has said so much about you.”  
“Good things I hope?” questioned Hermione intently.  
“Oh yes. No need to worry. Come, come, we must swap stories.” stated Harry as he held out his arm for the lady.  
“I shall endeavor to visit you at some point, but you should get comfortable in this castle first,” she leans in and whispers in Harry’s ear, “It is a bit drafty, and the walls are quite thick.”  
“Good to know. I shall see you later then?”  
“Absolutely”  
In the background as this conversation is finishing, Jacob muttered under his breath, audible only to a select few, “Thank the goddess, my friends like each other.”  
“Keep track, and we’ll see ya later,” nodded Jacob  
“See you,” responded Hermione.  
As Hermione turned around, Dumbledore, spoke. “Ms. Granger, if I may speak to you in my office tonight?”  
“Of course sir. What time would work for you?”  
“2100 should work.”  
“Thank you, sir,” Hermione said before turning and walking back to her seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering, Hermione is Mexican. Also, fuck, now I have to think of room descriptions. Updates will slow, I have school shit to do. Beta plz.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive Criticism appreciated Flames will be used to light my fireplace. Beta needed, desperately.


End file.
